Wooden building strip and method of making same



July 14, 1931. M. L. CATON 1 WOODEN BUILDING STRIP AND METHOD MAKINGSAME Filed NOV. 16, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet l July 14, 1931.

M. L. CATON WOODEN BUILDING STRIP AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed Nov.16, 1927- 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 14, 1931 UNITED STATES MAURICEL. CATON, or mnmroms, mnnnsofi- ASSIGNOR, BY imsNr: assmn- PATENT OFFICEMENTS, TO THE PATENT AND LICENSING CORPORATION, OF BOSTON, MASSACHU-SETTS, ACOBPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS woonnn 3111mm s'rmr AND METHOD orMaxine sum Application filed November My invention belongs to thatgeneral class of products known as building material and relates moreparticularly to a wooden building strip or material particularly adaptedfor exterior use where the same may be exposed to the weather. Treatedor coated -wooden shingles have been made heretofore, .but insofar as Iknow.the same have not gone into. use to any extent. While they have ad-1 vantages over uncoated shingles'or over composition roofing in somerespects, the advantages have not been suflicient to overcome theadditional cost of manufacture andthe cost of laying. My improvedproduct has the advantages of all previous types and additionaladvantages without any of their drawbacks. In the preferred embodimentof the invention, the body part or base is of assembled wooden boards/orequivalent mate'- rial, wooden shingles of the conventional shape beingshown for purposes of illustration. The invention has among its objectsthe improved method of making and the production of a product of thekind described and economically constructedof inexpensive materialswhich may be inexpensively laid, and which generally will not have atendency to check, warp, or split in use when-exposed to theweather, andwhich may be used wherever found applicable. The same has as a furtherobject aproduct which will-be ex-.-

ceedingly attractive in appearance when .applied, and be of a desiredcolor or combination of colors. in set forth is a fire retardent andunder ordinary circumstances may be considered as fireproof, and whichmay be easily and convensame will lay moreor less flat, will not havethe usual tendency to curl or turn up or be lifted by wind, and whenproperly installed objects and advantages of the construction which isefficient in use, may be inexpensively The same when made as hereientlylaid to produce desired effects. The

purposes be leak-proof. In addition, it is w, 1927. Serial No. 233,045.

herein shown and described will be obvious to those skilled in the artfrom the disclosure Y and more particularly pointed out in theclaims. r

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters indicate like orcorresponding parts: a

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a wooden shingle strip, a portionof the coating and surfacing broken away to show the construction Fig. 2is a section taken substantially on line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a .section taken substantially on line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of another type of ,built up stripof'shingles consisting of a plurality of individual units suitablysecured together, portions being removed to more clearly show theconstruction;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken substantially on. line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken substan-v tially on line 6-6.of Fig. 4;

v Fig. 7 is a perspective view similar to Fig. 1, illustrating thebituminous coating applied to the entire body part;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view similar to Fig. 4, illustrating anotherembodiment of the invention;

" embodiment;

Fig. 10 is a similar viewillustrating another embodiment; and

Fig. l is a view of a portion of a strip illustrating a modified contourof butt end and method of laying.

Referring to the drawings in which several embodiments of the inventionare shown, it may be mentioned that preferably the body or base of myimproved material or product is wood of the desired size and shape andof the particular kind of wood best suited or adaptable for the purpose.While the type of body or base is immaterial for purposes ofillustration, I have shown the strip made Fig. 9 is a similar viewillustrating another up of the familiar type of cedar shingles, thesebeing comparatively inexpensive, particularly, as I am enabled to usetheinferior and cheaper grades of shingles. Shingles of this kind are ofsuitable lengths andv usually of varied width, thesame being tapwoodenbody, regardless of the size, shape or particular kind of wood,andimmediately thereafter impregnate the same with a light bituminousroduct, creosote, oil or the like, which will 1 up the pores and preventthe re-absbrption of moisture. Inthis treatment,

. however, Ipreferto use a substance of a boards are viscosity whichwill permit it to easily, thoroughly and efliciently penetrate the wood.It may be mentioned that I have not shown herein apparatus for carryingout the methods herein described in manufacturingthe product astheapparatus forms the subjectmatter of a separate application, anysuitable apparatus belng" adapted for the purpose.

There may, of course, be instances where the wood is entlrely free frommoisture and where the further steps in the manufacture take place inthe mill, and in this instance it may not be necessary as an initialstep to dry the shingles or to saturate or impregnate the same toprevent absorption of moisture. But even then it is often desirable andI generally prefer to so initially treat them.

that the wooden shingles or V in satisfactory condition as regards beingfree of moisture, -I apply a coat- 7 I mgto the same of an appreciablethickness.

I have found satisfactory a coating of bituminous matter such as coaltar, pitch or asphalt compounds, or other egpiiwalent' material whichconstitutes a protecting celating, as well as a binder. This may be do ebefore or after the shingles have been assembled in form'as willhereinafter more partic arly explained, the time of assembly dependingon the manner in which they are secure orjcemented together? This coat--ing may cover the entire shingle or board,

faces, side edges and ends, or it may cover -onl'y such portions thereofas desired, it

being preferred to coat all surfaces that may be exposed,- or open tothe air and weather and between the assembled shingles. Over this binderor coating orsuch portions thereof as may-be desired, I thenap- 1y aface coating or surfacing,and for this I prefer tofuse a mineral mattersuchas crushed slate or' anite or stone, sand pebbles or slag of. theesired size of particles and here to each other. Of course, afterthesame is installed, this is not material as the more they adhere orstick. together the better the finished prodhct will be. To so cover theex posed portions of the vbituminous material and prevent sticking, Ihave found that talc,

mica or other substances may be employed, orv

paper or other separators may be placed between them.

In the drawings, I have illustrated several embodiments of the inventionand arrange" ments of boards assembled together to form a strip which issubstantially a unitary structure.' Referring first to Fags. 1, 2 and 3,1

represents a wooden shingle suitably treated, if necessary, to removemoisture and prevent its further admission. In these figures twoshingles are shown connected together by a fastener 4, the same alsoserving as a spacer between the two. Obviously one or more may beemployed at each joint and any equivalent device may be used. Applied tothe shingle as sho wn in this instance, over the top and bottomfaces,-edges and butt end, and between thefshingles, is a coating 2 ofasphalt or other bituminous product or the like which is of an'appreciable thickness and which encloses that portion of the base orbody which is ordinarily exposed to the weather as well as fasteners 4.Over the part-that is exposed to view at least, I apply ding theparticles of the surfacin into the coating so that they are firmly hel'Where humps are desired for ornamental effect, the same may be left-This coating is applied at least to the top face and the butt end andmay be invsome instances applied to the exposed side edgesn While inmost cases I do not prefer to apply it to the under-face, this is a.-matter of preference. The under-face if not so surfaced but covered withthe coating 2 may be covered with talc or the like so that in handlingor.shipping they will not stick. together as previously mentioned.Obviously these large shingles or strips may be laid, similar to anordina'ry shingle, with the coated and. surfaced butts exposed to theweather.. I

In Fig. 4, I have illustrated a modified 1 .together to form a strip. Inthis figure, 1 represents a shingle provided with the coating 2 andsurfacing 3. Theseveral shingles may be secured together by Suitable 5strips 6 of metal or its equivalent, there i being one or. more on thetop. or one or more on the bottom or on both top and bottom. It may bementioned that if metal straps are used, these may be applied in advanceof the coating so that they are entirely enclosed and protected from theweather and are. also concealed. They may be applied by means of tacks,nails or the like, but in the form illustrated they are providedwithintegral struck out prongs 7 which may be forced into thematerial,.serving the same purpose as nails. Obviously strips soconstructed may be made as longas desired and either applied full lengthor the same severed to give desired lengths. In this case, as will benoted by reference to Fig. 5, the coating 2 may flow betweentheshingles, serving as a binder, to hold them together, as well as sealingthe joint between them. Obviously the coating and surfacing insofar asthe exterior is concerned, affords full protection to the shingles. Ifthe shingles are not brought tight together but slightly spaced, thejoints may be apparent and afi'ord a pleasing appearance.

In Fig. 7 I have illustrated shingles similar to Fig. 1, except in thisinstance-the \fl, coating 2 encloses the entire body, the surfacing 3being shown as arranged similar to that s'hown in Fig. 1. I haveillustratedat 3 how the talc or other substance may be applied tocoating 2 to prevent the shingles sticking together prior toapplication.Obviously there would also be talc on the under- 40 face. The .stripshown inFig. 4 or in the other figures hereinafter described may be,made up of shirigles similar'tothat shown in Fig. 7 with the featherededges all coated if so desired. I

In Fi 8 I have shown shingles or bodies 11- whic are substantiallysimilar to those I shown in Figs. 1 or 7. In this case 13 represents asheet of paper or other suitable material, 1 1 the binder applied to thesheet, the shingles being appliedthereto and secured to:13 by the'bmder.one of the various y kinds of paper that may be found suitable for thepurpose may be employed. The top face and butt edge are coatedwith acoating 12 t5 corresponding to 2 and the surfacing 3. Or-

dinarily between the shingles only the bituminous binder is present, butthe outside edges of the strip may be surfaced'if so desired. Obviouslytheextent of coating the 0' top face of the shingles or applying thesurfacing maybe as 'prferredas I reviously mentioned. In making up thissty e of strip, I ordinarily prefer to-ap 1y a coat of the desiredthickness of the inder'14 on the" 5 sheet 13, thence applyingthe o e ifidesired size and with a desire members 11, followedbythe enclosing coat12. The coating 14 binds the bodies to the sheet and the coat 12 flowingbetween the bodies not only binds them together but forms a bond withthe coating on the sheet. Obviously, the coating 12 may be applied tothe entire top face if so desired;- The next step is the application-ofthe mineral surfacing coating 3. Pressure is preferably applied so thatthe particles of the surfacingcoat are embedded in the coat 12. Ofcourse, in some instances the surfaclng and coating 12 may be applied.simultaneously; but thisv is ordinarily not preferred. It may bementioned that while the body members are shown comparatively closetogether, they mayJoe slightly spaced from each other, this beingparticularly desirable if the two coatings 12 and 3 are applied at thesame time. While ordinarily the binder or coats 12 and 14, together withthe sheet-12, are suficient to hold the several bodies in the stripform, fastening means similarto that previously described or itsequivalent may be additionally used if preferred. If desired to have acombination of color effects, as for example, alternate red and green ina single strip,

it may be preferred to so coat and surface the individual bodies priorto arranging and se curing them together.

In Fig. 9 I have shown a'somewliat similar arrangement except there isapplied a second sheet 15 on the top face at the featheredge of thestrip. This figure also illustrates how the butt edges may be sawed orout in fancifulfashion or otherwise formed to produce a pleasing effect.The particular shown is merely for illustration, it being obvious thatit may be varied if desired. The trimming of the butt end wouldpreferably take place at an early step in the manufacdeslgn' ture, sothat the coating would cover theend as formed. In some instances thebottom sheet might be omitted and a coated and surfaced sheet be appliedto the coated top face of the bodies. i

In Fi .11 I have illustrated how the strips 20 may e formed with anirregular shaped butt edge 21 so that when the strips are applied athatchedeifect is: secured. InFig. 10, '17 represents a strip, forinstance, paper, and in this case the shingles are arranged staggered sothat the butts 19 are not inal' ment. The opposite edges may be sawe ortrimmed straight it so desired, In other respects this strip may beconstructed similar to the strips shown in the preceding figures.Obviously, very striking eifects may be obtained-in installing thesetypes without increased expense in laying.

It is seen from the preceding'that the product may be made in theform'of'a'strip made up of a pluralityor desirednumber ofshingles' orboards to give a unitary strip of a.

contour of 1:0

' or sparks and yet give an ornamental effect which it is not possibleto secure with the usual woodenshingle or siding or many other typesof-coverings. The same is durable and of long life, and obviously havingbeen once installed will not require painting or other treatments topreserve the wood. Many different colors may be employed, this dependingupon the coloring of the surfacing coating v so that permanentornamental and decorative effects not heretofore possible to obtain withwooden boards or the like are secured. The elastic bituminous or likematerial which encloses the wooden base or body will elimi nate or atleast cover any cracking, checking or warping that may occur in thewooden o cay'ing. Likewise the insulating characteristics of the woodenbase are improved, there-' by resulting; in increased efficiency. Whenordinary shingles or boards are damp or full of moisture, the insulatingvalue is re-, duced, hence with my improved product,

which cannot absorb moisture, the wood base or body is always eflicientas an insulator.

Where a sheet is'provided as a backing, its

insulating qualities are further increased.

Obviously the most suitable type of paper or other material may beemployed to give the highest insulating efiiciency possible. The samewhen made up in strips may be laid in larger units than possible withordinary product as these do not constitute a part of boards'orshingles, thereby reducing expense of laying, orlaid in art designswithout increasing the laying cost; The great reduc-' tion in cost oflabor for applying to either roof or side walls in new or oldconstruction is one of the prime objects of this invention.

Likewise it is possible to use a multiple of small .or narrow widths orlengths of products or poorer quality of the same which are now oflittle value owing tothe inferior qualityand the great cost of labor forapplying. There is, therefore, a'material saving in material cost andinlabor.

As mentioned before, I have not considered it nece'ssar to illustrateherein suitable apparatus or machines for manufacturing the the presentinvention. In the claims herein I refer to a filler which I wish to beunderstood as any filler suitable for the purpose parting from the dyand prevent or retard rotting and 'dethence applying a plurality ofbodies .of impregnating the wood, and where I refer to a coating I wishalso to be understood as a coating of any'suitable material and whetherapplied over all or only a portion of the faces, edges or ends. I alsodesire where I use the word surfacing to be understood that any mineral0min, product may be em- I refer to a wooden base or or shingle, I wishto be undertions may be made in the same without despirit of myinvention; hence I do not wish to be understood as limitmg myself to theexact form, construction, arrangement and combination of parts hereinshown and described or uses mentioned.

hat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A method of making a strip ofbuilding material consisting-in nous orlike material to aJsheet of paper,

thereon, thence trimming the bodies at one end, and thence applying aheavy coat of bitumi nous material to'the flowing the same between thebodies to the sheet below.

2. A method of making a strip of wooden building material consisting inapplying a bituminous or'like material to a sheet oft paper, thenceassociating a plurality of shingles therewith with slight spaces betweenthem,'.thence trimming the shingles to a de-- sired contour at one endand thence applying a heavy coat of bituminous materials to the exposedface and ends of the shingles and between the shingles to the sheetbelow, thence applying a finishing coat of mineral and embedding t esame'in the heavy bituminous coating, thence applying means to theexposed bituminous material coating to prevent strips adhering to eachother prior to installation.

between said wooden members and covering said spacing member. g Intestimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

MAURICE noa'rou.

applying a bitumitop face of the strip and articles of a desired color I

